Glasgow Registrars is Glasgow City Council’s registration service. It registers births, stillbirths and deaths, takes notice for marriages and civil partnerships, and runs civil ceremonies. Right now you won’t walk into an office for births and deaths. The council does those by phone, so you book or wait for a call. Post goes to the Registration Office, Mail Room, City Chambers, George Square, Glasgow, G2 1DU, and civil ceremonies run from 23 Montrose Street and the City Chambers.
Last checked: 26 October 2026.
Everything below comes from the council’s own registrar pages, which I read on 25 October 2026, and from National Records of Scotland (NRS) and mygov.scot. The council changes its notices often, so the wait times it prints are the bit most likely to have moved.
Where is the registrar office in Glasgow?
The council’s postal address for the Registration Service is the Mail Room, City Chambers, George Square, Glasgow, G2 1DU. That’s where doctors post death certificates and where marriage or civil partnership paperwork goes.
Don’t turn up in person for a birth or a death. The council says births are registered over the phone and “you should not attend the office in person”, and death registrations “now take place remotely (over the phone)”. It also says it isn’t offering face to face appointments for lodging civil partnership notices.
The one building the council names for ceremonies is 23 Montrose Street. It has two ceremony rooms, and the City Chambers has two more. More on those below.
Glasgow registrars phone number
The council prints different numbers for different jobs, so use the one that matches yours.
| For | Number | When it’s open |
|---|---|---|
| Birth appointment if you need an interpreter | 0141 287 7655 | Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 9.00am to 12.30pm |
| Stillbirth, including if you need an interpreter | 0141 287 7654 | Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 12.30pm |
For a death, a marriage or a civil partnership the council points you to email rather than a phone line. Use the email address on its own page for each.
How to register a birth in Glasgow
You’ve got 21 days from the birth to register it in Scotland. Book an appointment through the council’s online booking system, and book as early as you can. The council says there’s an extended wait for appointments (its update of 16 April 2026), so it suggests trying another registration office first if you need to be quicker.
The basics
- It’s done by phone. Appointments run Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 3.40pm, and last 15 to 20 minutes.
- Be free at the booked time. If the registrar can’t reach you, you’ll have to rebook online.
- Only book with one office. Duplicate bookings cause delays.
- You can register at any registration office in Scotland, not just Glasgow’s.
- Appointments are in English. Have a friend or relative on hand to translate. If the parents aren’t married to each other, they can’t translate for one another.
Who can register
If the parents are married or in a civil partnership with each other, either one can register the birth. If they aren’t, the mother registers it. For the father’s or other parent’s name to go on the record, both parents need to be there for the appointment, together or on a conference call.
What to have ready
- The birth registration card from the hospital or midwife.
- Your marriage or civil partnership certificate, if you have one.
- Your own birth certificate, if you have it.
What you get
An abbreviated birth certificate, free, and a form (EC58) to register your child with a doctor. A full birth certificate costs £10.00 a copy, paid at the appointment by card over the phone. Glasgow City Council doesn’t take cash or cheques. Once the baby’s registered, sort out the doctor using our guide to registering with a GP and dentist in Glasgow.
Stillbirth and re-registration
A stillbirth also has to be registered within 21 days. It’s done by phone too, and the midwife or doctor sends the medical certificate (Form 6) to the registrar first. To add a father’s details later, or to record a marriage that happened after the birth, you ask for a re-registration. The council says to email the registrars for advice.
How to register a death in Glasgow
A death in Scotland normally has to be registered within 8 days. It’s done by phone, Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 3.30pm. You don’t normally book a slot. The doctor who certified the death emails the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) to the registrar and posts the original to the City Chambers address. A registrar then phones the person registering the death, usually within a few days of getting the paperwork. The call can come from an unknown number. If the doctor didn’t send your contact details, it’s up to you to contact the registration office to get things started.
The council’s note of 8 January 2026 says the service is very busy. It also says you can register a death at any registration office in Scotland, so another council may offer an earlier slot. A few deaths are picked at random for an NHS Scotland review of the medical certificate, which can add a short delay. If you’re thinking about the funeral, the council says don’t fix a date until the death is registered, and your funeral director will tell you the same.
Who can register
- Any relative of the person who died.
- Anyone who was there when they died.
- Their executor or another legal representative.
- The occupier of the property where they died.
- Anyone else who knows the details needed. You must be at least 16.
What to have to hand
- The MCCD, which should already be with the registrar.
- The person’s birth certificate.
- Their marriage or civil partnership certificate, if there was one.
- Their medical card.
NRS says you can still register without the documents, but it’s easier with them.
What you get
An abbreviated death certificate, free, and a Certificate of Registration of Death (Form 14), which the funeral director needs before a burial or cremation. You also get a reference number for Tell Us Once, the government service that tells the council and other bodies in one go. A full death certificate is £10.00 a copy, if you ask for it at the time. The council says the registrar will tell council tax and the electoral registration office. See our guide to council tax in Glasgow if the bill needs sorting.
If cost is a worry, mygov.scot has the Funeral Support Payment, which can go towards a funeral for an adult, a child or a baby.
Giving notice to get married in Glasgow
You can’t just book a registrar and turn up. Both of you must give notice, which means sending your notice forms (the M10 for a marriage, the CP10 for a civil partnership) and your documents to the registrar for the area where the ceremony will be. NRS is clear that booking a registrar isn’t the same as giving notice. You also need two witnesses aged 16 or over, and surprise weddings aren’t possible in Scotland.
On timing, the council asks for forms 8 to 10 weeks before the ceremony, and says late or incomplete forms may mean the ceremony doesn’t go ahead. Its civil partnership page adds some detail:
- 10 weeks if either of you has been married or in a civil partnership before, or if either is a non-UK national.
- 29 days is the minimum. Leave it that late and you risk having to postpone.
- No earlier than 3 months before the date.
Check the council’s marriage page for its exact wording on marriage notice. The 29 day and 3 month figures are printed on the civil partnership page.
Notice for a civil partnership goes by post only to the City Chambers address above. Don’t hand deliver it, because the council says it won’t accept it. Put in a phone number and an email so they can take payment by card over the phone. Send photocopies, not originals, because they check the originals before the ceremony. Our Getting Married in Glasgow guide covers venues and costs once you’re past the paperwork.
Documents for each of you
- Your birth certificate and passport.
- Proof of where you live, such as a recent utility bill, bank statement or council tax bill.
- A divorce or dissolution decree, or a former spouse’s death certificate, if it applies.
- A certified English translation of anything not in English.
- Extra forms if you’re a non-UK national.
Civil ceremonies and venues
A civil ceremony is conducted by a registrar and can be at a registration office or almost anywhere in Glasgow you and the council agree on, apart from religious premises. A religious or belief ceremony is led by a celebrant, but you still give notice through the registrar.
| Room | Where | Guests |
|---|---|---|
| Clyde Room | 23 Montrose Street | Up to 15 (17 with the couple) |
| Kelvin Room | 23 Montrose Street | Up to 33 (35 with the couple) |
| Satinwood Suite | City Chambers | Up to 100 |
| Banqueting Hall | City Chambers | Up to 350 |
You can book up to 2 years ahead, or 1 year for the City Chambers. You fill in the council’s enquiry form with your venue, date and time, then they confirm availability and ask for a non-refundable booking fee. For a ceremony of just the two of you and two witnesses, you can only book when you hand in notice forms, and that’s up to 3 months ahead.
Be ready for a wait. The council’s note, dated 27 March 2026 and still on the page when I read it on 25 October, says there’s “very little or no availability” at 23 Montrose Street over the next few months, and that replies to booking emails were taking around 3 weeks. Its civil partnership page says around 2 weeks. Its fee lists, from 1 April 2026, are in three PDFs on its civil ceremonies page: 23 Montrose Street, the City Chambers and outside venues. For a religious or belief civil partnership the council’s fee is £100, including the certificate.
Certificates, name changes and other jobs
- Replacement certificates: birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates registered in Scotland can be ordered through the council’s online certificate ordering.
- Change of name: if your birth was registered in Scotland, you apply to NRS for a recorded change of name, not the council.
- Other ceremonies: the registrars also do naming ceremonies, renewal of vows and British citizenship ceremonies.
- Family history: the council runs a Genealogy Centre, with its own booking.
- Voting: registering to vote is a separate office. See our guide to registering to vote in Glasgow.
Public holiday closures
The council posts closures on its public holiday closures page. The one up when I looked was for the September weekend, when the service shut at 4.00pm on Thursday 24 September 2026 and reopened at 9.00am on Tuesday 29 September. It warns that replies run slower after a holiday. If a holiday is coming up and you need a certificate, order it online first.
FAQ
Where is the Glasgow registrar office?
Post goes to the Registration Office, Mail Room, City Chambers, George Square, Glasgow, G2 1DU. Births and deaths are handled by phone, not in person. Ceremonies happen at 23 Montrose Street, the City Chambers or a venue you choose.
What is the Glasgow registrars phone number?
For a birth appointment where you need an interpreter, it’s 0141 287 7655 (Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9.00am to 12.30pm). For a stillbirth, it’s 0141 287 7654 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 12.30pm). Deaths, marriages and civil partnerships are dealt with by email.
How long do I have to register a birth or a death?
21 days for a birth or stillbirth, and normally 8 days for a death.
Can I register a death somewhere other than Glasgow?
Yes. A death can be registered at any registration office in Scotland. Only send the paperwork to one office, though.
How much is a death or birth certificate?
The abbreviated certificate is free. A full copy is £10.00 each if you ask at registration.
How far ahead do I give notice to marry in Glasgow?
The council wants forms 8 to 10 weeks before the ceremony, and 10 weeks if either of you has been married before or isn’t a UK national.
Can I pay in cash?
No. Glasgow City Council takes card payments only, over the phone.
